Photographic-printing machine.



NORTON. PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION 1,247,565.

FILED JULY I9: 1915- RENEWED HAY 28.1917.

UNITED PTENT OFFICE.

FRANK w. NORTON," F CEDAR alarms, iowi;

PHoToGnArHIo-rnmrme MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. hIate nted N v, 1917,

Application filed July 19, 1915, Serial No. 40,785. Renewed May 28, 1917. Serial No. 171.574.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. NORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing, at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new.

and useful Improvements in Photographic- Printing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which'it" appertains to make and use thesame.

' This invention relates to photographic printing machines, and more particularly to the type of such machines illustrated and described in my former application for patent, No; 844,457, filed June 11, 1914. i

The object of this invention is to improve the construction of such machines so as to produce a simple, neat, compact and citicient machine for the rapid printing of V photographic prints.

The nature of the improvements will fully hereinafter appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in wh1ch-' v y Figure 1 sa side elevation of a machine embodying my invention, except the lower practically central tothe machine.

end of the rear leg. Fig.2 is a plan'view of a narrow negative. Fig. 7 is a section in the line 6 f of Fig. 4, looking'toward the right,;and illustrating the intermittent cirouit closing and breaking device. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating thewir; ing for the lamp and motor.

The first improvement to be noted is in the construction of the main case. This, with the exception of the lid or platen, is made of six main pieces suitably fastened together, as by screws 1. They comprise a front 2, which serves also as the front leg or legs. To this is attacheda pair of sideplates 3 3, which also form the rear legs. Between these, at the back side of the machine, is fitted a pair of angle-plates 4 and 5, which together form the front,top, back and bottom of a rear inclosure for the most of the working parts of the machine;

Aluminium castings are preferably used for these five parts, though ironor other material may be used if desired. The case (er-.

cepting the platen, as above noted) is completed by'fitting tightly between the sideplates' and between the front end 2 and the angle-plate 4 a semi-cylindrical plate'6. This should'be'of sheet aluminium, or other suitable material. with a bright reflecting inner surface, as itserves both as an in closure for the bottom and sides of the lightchamber, and as a reflector for the lamp 7 mounted therein. I

To lugs 8 projecting from the upper rear cor'ner'of the case, is pivoted the platen 9 by its rearwardly extending arms 10. The platencovers the top of the light chamber completely, so that when closed it entirely excludes the external light therefrom. It

should be provided on its under side with clamping strip 17, projecting inwardly tci correspond with the-ribs above mentioned. Screws 18 admit of the tightening or loosening of the clamping strips, sot-hat an edgeof the negative may be slipped under one or both of them, and the strip tightened upon it to hold it in place at that side. If

the negative is of the width of theupper portion of the light chamber it will be held by one of these clamps on each side. In case it be a narrow negative one side'may be so held, and the other side heldby' aspring clip 19, of thin material, and adapted to be slipped over the upperedge of'the negative-supporting glass and pinch the negative thereon at that side. By using a pair of these clips the negative maybe set I in the middle of the glass supportfor it, but in practice it is preferred to use one of the side-clamps for one side of the negative, since its inner edge serves as an accurate side-gage in feeding the paper to printing position. The clamps are very useful also i? for the purpose of holding the edges of a film negative, and in this case a sheet of clear glass takes the place a glass negative, the film being smoothly stretched over the two thicknesses of clear' lass,-and*at the same. level as the surface oi an ordinary plate.

The. inclination of the negative is such that "if the paper be not supported-it will instantly slide off by gravity, as is desirable in discharging the paper after printing. Accordingly; the front upper edge of the casingdoes not rise higher than the upper surface; of the negative, and presents no ob: structiontothe/slide of the paper. The

lower edge otthe paper is held to the printing position by aslide 20 operating between thefrontplate, and the lower edge of the negative, This spaceis made by; extending;

inwardiiy from the front-platea series of lugs or stops 21, which pass through slots 229m the "slide-plate.. The inner ed es oi the lugs stand atright angles to, an sup-- port the glasses 15 and 16 aswelli as the negatiye so that the edges of all areflush with each ot-her.- The upper limits of the lugs are flush with the upper surface of.

thcnegative or slightly lower. During the feeding; printing operation the slide rises considerably, above the surface, of'the negative,i andjbeing; at right. angles to the side gage; above mentioned. there is pre sentedf an; accurate squaring gage for the paper as fed.v It will be notedthat the forward portion of the platen is hollowed at 28 togiveroom for the slide-plate. The mechanism for tripping the. slide-plate will bev described presently.

From the hollow323 of the platen a flaiige or lip 9A extends: downwardly. The purposeof thisllip, is to shieldthe, eyes of the operator from a momentary. flash which wouldotherwise strike his eyes as the platen suddenly rises. v I In the; rear inclosure 1s, transversely mounted a large spur gear 25 on its stud 26'; Projecting; forwardly from this gear is-aicanr27, 'andiengaging the cam is a roller QSf-attached-to an ar1n 2-9 fixed-to a rockshaft 30. A-lateral lug. 310i this arm takes:

a -connecting rod32, which passes through a hole-inf the top of the casing and engages ansa fm 33 cooperating with the, platen. In practice this is pre'terably anarn'i separate from the-platen, but. hung, on its pivot,- and attached to the l'iniddlegof the platen atits other, end This serves togimpart central pressureflto the platen. It also admits of the use. of a slightly, flexible arm, which chamber and holding the print in position. It is opened by a counteractive spring 34, of a type so simple as to require no description.

At the bottom of the light chamber is mounted a long housing 35, in which is pivotedat 36 a lever 87, having at? its lower end an upwardly extending arm 38 with a lug or stud 39 engaging a hole 4.0 m the paper-stop slide-plate. Normally the slide is held by the superior weight of the upper end of the lever in the position shown in Figs. 1 andB. Atthis end is a trip-dog-41 held to normal position by a springiZ. In its-upward movement; after the point of the camhas passed the; roller 28, the lug 31 engages this dog, which it passesin its upward movement, and trips the lever, momentarily depressing. the paper' stop, and per mittingthe paper to start down and out of the machine. In its downward movement the, lugisimply depresses the dog, without,

disturbing the papei s,top-, which has assumed its normal'positionu As'will be seen, one end of the lever 37' passes through a hole 43 into the. rear chamber, and the other end through a hole 41 i into the lightchaniber, the holes being masked from the outer light by the housing 35.

In Figs. t and? is shown the device for opening and closing the lamp circuit, 'operated by the. wheel otwhich the cain'foi'nis a part. Near the periphery of'this wheel are set two studs, 45 and 46 to intercept the teeth of. a starwheel 47. The star-wheel connects with a cylindrical; circuit-breaker and closer 4E8provided with suitable contact brushes 19'; In practice the cylinder "has rear contact ,spaces, equally disposed; and similarly: disposedspacesfof insulation; so that there is alternate opening and closing of the circuit asthe spaces pass between the brushes. The star-Wheel is provided with eight teeth, and is'moved one tooth space with each impa'ct'of a -passing stud. It will thus be evidentrthat as the main wheel'revolves, one stud will close, and the succeedingstud willopen-the lamp circuit. The studs-are so placed as to closejthe circuit as soon as the platen 'closes and reopen the. The time of circuit before thepl'aten lifts. illumination within. those li'n'iitsmay be va ried by changing thepositi'on of the stud 46. A housing 50 receives the circuit-closer and the stud '51} on which it revolves; 7

Motion is imparted to the -cam-wheel by a small, high speedmotor 52 mounted at the top, ot the case. A frictiOnPWheel' 53pm)- tacts with a friction-disk 5 1mountedon a bracket 55. The disk connects with a small cone pulleyv 56,. and this isbelted'to a larger cone pulley 57 attached to'a shaft oSfhavingj a spurpinion 59 atj'its inner=end. This engages ,..an intermediate spurf gear (50 at tached to another pinion Gl pwhich pinion engages the large spur gear 25. The direction of motion of the cam-wheel is indicated bythe arrow. As soon as the point of the cam passes the roller the platen lifts quickly, the light having firstbeen turned oil by breaking the lamp circuit, the exposed paper slides out of the machine, its stop having been depressed, and the operator then has the time occupied by practically a half revolution of the cam in which to feed in a new sheet of paper. I

The electrical connections are simple, and are best shown in the diagram, Fig. 8, and by reference to corresponding letters on other figures. It willbe understoodthat' the machine will operate at full capacity with the current from an ordinary incandescent lamp socket. In the drawing A and B indicate the wires leading to such a socket. A plug switch C serves to make and break the connection with the machine circuits. One of these leads by the leg D to the lamp, and by the leg E tothe rotary intermittent circuit-closer above described. Another leg F leads to the motor, and a connecting leg G to the plug switch. It will thus be seen. that the turning on of the current at the plug switch starts the motor, and by its motion the lamp is intermittently switched in and out. When the current is turned off at the plug, both the lamp and motor circuits are broken. The operator may thus know, by the silence of the motor that the lamp is not in action, and heating the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I

' inclined top, a platen conforming to the top of both inclosures, and hinged at its back side, a cam-wheel mounted in the rear inclosure, and a connection of said wheel with the platen forward of its hinges, whereby the cam operates to intermittently depress the platen.

2. In a photographic printing machine, the combination of a case having a forward light-chamber with an inclined top and a rear compartment with a substantially horizontal top, of a platen conforming to said top surfaces and hinged at the back of the case, a spring adapted to move the platen in one direction, and a cam and connection of the cam with the platen forward of the hinges adapted to intermittently move it in the opposite direction.

3. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a case having a light chamber with a forwardly inclined support for a negative, of a platen adapted to close said chamber and press the paper to be printed into printing position, said platen having a downwardly depending front lip or cowl, and means adapted to intermittently operate said platen to open and close the chamber.

4. In a photographic printing machine, a case having a substantially rectangular rear inclosure adapted to hold and conceal the workin mechanism, and a forwardly disposed light chamber inclined downwardly from the top and bottom of the rear chamber, and partitioned therefrom substantially, as set forth.

'5. In a photographic printing machine, a case having a substantially rectangular rear compartment for the working mechanism,

and a downwardly inclined front chamber provided with means for illuminating the same,the lower part of the light chamber being a single curved sheet of reflecting material. r

6. In a photographic printing machine, a casecomposed essentially of six pieces, and comprising a front end and leg piece, a curved and upwardly inclined reflecting body portion extending back from the front, a pair of side and rear leg pieces, and a pair of angled pieces oppositely disposed to form a rear inclosure for the working parts of the machine. 7

7. In a photographic printing machine having an inclined, forwardly disposed printing surface and a front end adapted to support the lower edge of the negative, a slide operating between said front end and the edge of the negative, and adapted to engage the lower edge of the paper as printed, and mechanism adapted to intermittently drop said slide and restore it to normal position.

8. In a photographic printing machine having an inclined support for the negative and a front end engaging the lower edge of .the negative level with or below the surface thereof, a slide operating between said front end and the negative, and projecting norhaving a light chamber with an electric lamp mountedtherein, a reciprocating closure for said chamber, a rotating cam-wheel and means for connecting the same operatively with the closure, a suitable light circuit, an intermittently rotatable switch in said circuit provided with a stanwheel, and tappets mounted on said cam-wheel adapted to successively openfand close said circuit by rotating the star wheel.

11. In a photographic printing 'machine having a light'chamber with an electric lamp mounted therein, a reciprocating closurefor said chamber, a cam-wheel and connectingmechanism adapted'to actuate the closure intermittently, a suitable light circuit, a rotating switch in said circuit provided with a star-wheel, and tappets on said cam-wheel to engage the star-wheel, one of said tappets being ustable on the cam, to vary the duration of the light.

12. In a photographic printing machine having a light chamber with an inclined support for a negative, a slide movable up and down at the foot of saidsupport, and side-strips adapted to clamp the edges of a negative film and to serve as side-guidesfor the paper to be printed. I

i 13. In a photographic printing machine having a light-chamber with an inclined ea es negative-supporting glass and ledge to engage the lower edge of the negative, a pair of side-strips whose lower faces are normallyflush with the upper surface ofthe negative, and are adapted to clamp a nega tive film, a glass insertible in place of a plate negative, and an intermittent closure adapted to press a paper to be printed in position on said negative.

19L. In a photographic printing machine, the combination of an inclined glass support for a negative, a shittahle stop'for the lower edge of the paper, a side-clamp for the negative, adapted to serve as a squaring gage for the paper, and a spring clip of thin material adapted to clamp the other side of the negativein place on its support.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. NORTON. WVitnesses:

MAUDE FLINT ,Monnnan,

J. M. ST. JOHN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, i i i Washington, 11C. 7 

